


stubborn love

by agent_of_marvel



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Family Issues, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Minor Character Death, PTSD, Self Confidence Issues, Smoking, Teacher Steve, bucky fucked up, bucky is trying his hardest, single parent, will become dark later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-26 04:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3836497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agent_of_marvel/pseuds/agent_of_marvel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How was Bucky supposed to know that the really hot dude he yelled at was his daughters teacher?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> idk I'm just in a mood mann

Let’s get one thing straight. Bucky is not.

Not in the slightest bit what so ever. He's about as straight as one of those cool bendy straws you get at restaurants. You know the ones, they twist and loop and bend. 

So yea, that’s about how straight Bucky Barnes is.

Yet here he is, holding his five-year-old daughter. And there they are, with all these random ass parents asking who his wife is and why Rory’s mother hasn’t joined them that evening and “Oh my she is too cute your wife must be beautiful.”

Bucky can’t help but groan, inwardly of course. God forbid he offends any of these rich suburban parents. 

It’s not like he minded people thinking he was straight, but he just didn’t want to ruin any possible friendships that Rory could have. The last thing he want’s is her to eat lunch alone because all the other kids know her old man’s a queer.

But still, it’s annoying as all hell.

Fuck, he hates this. He also currently hates Sam. 

Sam got Rory all excited about this stupid ‘Sunday Funday' fundraiser at her school.

“There’ll be games and snacks, and get this, all you can eat ice cream!”

Well of course she wanted to go now. There was a fucking sundae bar. What five-year-old in their right mind would pass up an all you can eat ice cream bar?

And of course, it being Sam’s idea and all, Sam couldn’t take her himself. 

“I’m working a stand there, so I’ll see you two around. Sorry Buck.” The man couldn’t even try to keep his smirk off his face.

Sam Wilson was about as sorry as the ice burg that hit the Titanic. 

Bucky is smarter than he looks, and he knew what Sam was doing the second he started doing it. He knew that Sam only told Rory because if Rory wanted to go, Bucky _had_ to bring her. It was all part of Sam’s master plan,

That meant that Bucky Barnes; one armed, ex soldier, single father of one would be forced to socialize.

Almost six years back and he was still uncomfortable in crowds.

“Papa,” A small voice and a tug on his sleeve bring his attention to the small child resting on his arm.

“Papa, what’s wrong?” Her small hands make their way to his face and rest on his cheeks. She pads her fingers on his face so he would look at her. “Are you okay?”

He smiled and places a kiss on her forehead. “There’s a lot of people in here and you know how Papa get’s sometimes in crowds.”

He hates that she knows how he could get in large crowds. Ever since having Rory he’s gotten better in crowds surprisingly. She just somehow knows when something is off with him and can easily pull him back into the present. 

Before he had her though, Bucky could be in a room with twenty people and his throat would close up and his vision would get blurry. Once, on a particular bad day he was having, he ended up blacking out and the next thing he knew he was in the hospital with bloody and bruised knuckles. He’s still not sure what happened that night. 

Thankfully Rory has only seen Bucky have small panic attacks. Nothing more than a bit of troubled breathing and racing thoughts.

But still, it’s not something your kid should have to see. 

“Papa, I’ll stay with Sam, you go outside!” She smiled and laughs in the way that makes his heart warm, and this little ball of sunshine will never truly understand how much she has saved him. 

Bucky lets out a shaky breath and sets her on the ground, grabbing her small hand and walks her other to Sam’s booth.

“Sundae’s!” Rory squeals and runs around the booth to Sam’s side. 

“Ice cream bar, nice Sam.” Bucky tries his best to hold in a laugh.

“Yes, laugh it up, but I’m the favorite booth.” He smirks at Bucky, “How’r ya doin?” He asks, a bit more serious.

Bucky shrugs his shoulder, “Was hoping you wouldn’t mind watchin’ her for a few?” 

Sam smiles, “Course man.” 

Bucky lets out a sigh of relief and heads to the exit of the auditorium that leads to the back of the school. The fresh air is like a smack in the face that was long over due. He breathes it in and lets himself relax a bit.

Bucky knows he’ll never really be able to relax, but he can let himself take a short break from being on high alert 24/7, even if only for a few minutes.

Those few minutes when he lets himself relax usually include a lighter and a cigarette between his lips. Other than Rory, the only thing that can keep his blood from racing is letting himself take a couple drags from a cigarette. 

When he was younger, after his dad would yell at his mom for something she didn’t do, he would always go outside and smoke. For some reason Bucky just ended up associating smoking with relaxing. Old habits die hard he guesses.

Rory doesn’t like it at all so he’s trying to cut back. He’d do anything for his girl.

Bucky’s feeling a little bit back to himself when a voice speaks up next to the door form the auditorium. 

“Excuse me, sir. You aren’t allowed to smoke while you’re on school grounds.” The voice takes him a bit by surprise, but he stays calm and turns to face the voice.

The man he sees is tall, at least three or four inches taller than him, with blonde hair and a strong build. He’s wearing jeans, which fit very, _very_ well from what Bucky can see, and a button down. His face isn’t half bad either.

“Look, man, just let me finish this, I just really needed a smoke break.” Bucky puts his hand up in defense then takes another drag of the cigarette. 

Blondie bits his lips, “Sir, I don’t want to have to ask you again.” 

Bucky closes his eyes and lets the cigarette drop to the ground and puts hit out with his boot. He takes a deep breath in and glares at the other man, “All good now, right?” He rolls his eyes, “A man can’t even take a fucking smoke break without someone jumping down his throat now a days.” 

“Uh,” The man starts but Bucky is too busy brushing past him and back into the auditorium.

All he wanted was to finish his cigarette. He really wasn’t asking much, it’s not like school was in session or like kids were around him. Bucky wasn’t hurting anyone, but no, mister good looking couldn’t even let him have a couple more drags before he put it out.

Life is cruel.

Rory was on Sam’s shoulders when he made his way back to the sundae table. Even though he was irritated, he couldn’t stay mad for more than a few seconds when he was looking at her smile. 

“Papa! Me and Sam helped a bunch of kids make sundaes!” She claps her hands above Sam’s head and giggles. 

“Well, who knew you could be such a great helper!” Bucky says like he had any doubt in his mind that she wouldn’t be great with helping Sam.

“That’s great sweetheart.” He smiles and lets out a sigh, reminding himself that this will all be over in an hour.

\----

And after more mingling with other parents (and for Bucky, mingling means awkward smiles and nodding in agreement to everything anyone says) the night is coming to a close. A woman in a gaudy blue pencil skirt and matching blazer walks onto the stage, microphone in hand, and announces that the teacher who set this whole thing up would like to say a few words of thanks to all the parents who came out and supported the school and their new playground or whatever. 

Bucky mostly tunes it out; trying his best to keep is soon-to-crash daughter on his hip. He really shouldn’t of let her get extra gummy worms and caramel sauce on both of her sundaes. Then he’s snapped out of his thoughts when all the parents begin to clap, probably to welcome the teacher onto the stage.

Ah clapping, another thing he can’t do.

Bucky’s attention is brought back to the stage again when a certain blonde haired, bulky man steps out and takes the microphone from the woman. 

“Papa,” She says tiredly into his shoulder, “that’s Mr. Rogers. He’s my teacher. I really like him Papa.” 

Oh. Oh no.

Bucky did not sass Rory’s teacher.

Bucky actually sassed Rory’s teacher.

Damn it.

“I’d like to thank all the parent’s and students who came out this evening to help support the school and help us getting a new play ground out back. This really means a lot to the staff, and your kids, as well as me.” 

He then went on to say about how great this was set up and thanked all the teachers and parents who volunteered and Bucky could not care any less because dear lord that man was gorgeous and he probably really fucked things up for Rory because that was her teacher and Bucky was 100% a dick to him and fuck all Bucky wanted to do was ask him out for a drink to apologize. 

\----

Once the two got home, Bucky dressed her in her pajamas and put her to bed, really loving the fact that she crashed so soon after eating all that sugar. Made it easier for him.

The second he was alone, however, he called up Sam to tell him how badly he fucked up. Thankfully Sam was on his way home from the school, he’d just finished packing up his sundae station when Bucky called so Sam just said he’d drop by in a few.

Bucky laughs and tells him that the front door will be open. 

\----

“So, what happened and how have you ‘royally fucked up Rory’s school year’?” Sam asks, taking a swig of beer.

Whenever Sam was over the two would always sit on the back porch and slowly drink a beer or two. They’ve done it for who knows how long and it’s something Bucky really appreciates about their friendship. Sam may be a jackass, but Sam was his jackass.

“Well, I was outside taking a breather,”

“And by breather you mean smoke break.” Sam says it as more of a fact than a question.

“Well yea, when this really hunky blond guy comes over to me telling me that I couldn’t smoke on school grounds.” Bucky takes a long sip of beer, letting Sam process what he said.

“Oh, oh no. Steve Rogers? The guy that set that whole thing up? Rory’s _teacher_?” Sam asks, not even trying to stifle his laughter.

“Man, it’s not funny! I was so rude to him! What if he fails Rory after he figures out it was me!” Bucky runs his hand through his hair and huffs out a breath.

“Dude, Rogers is just very anal about smoking. He had wicked bad asthma as a kid and his mom died of TB when he was a kid.”

Bucky looks like he’s about to smack his head against a wall. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m such a dick.”

Sam laughs, “Yea you are, but look, Steve is the kind of guy who doesn’t let anything get in the way of how he treats a child, no matter how dickish their parents are. And anyway, you looked pretty stressed so he probably won’t hold it against you.” 

Bucky tries not to let what he said to Steve affect his mood for the rest of the time Sam is over, and it doesn’t. But the second Sam leaves Bucky is back to wishing he and Rory could just pack up and move and start over in someplace new.

Maybe San Diego. Bucky’s always wanted to visit California.

And he does. Him and Rory drive to Cali in his old Honda CRV and find a nice apartment to rent. It’s a thirty-minute drive to the beach and a five minute walk from Rory’s new school, which has teachers Bucky has never even spoken to before. 

But then Bucky hears the annoying buzzing of his alarm clock, signaling that’s 6:30 A.M and that he and Rory never moved to California.

Bummer. 

\----

“Papa, I wanted to mind you that I have parent-teacher con-for-in-ces next week.” Rory talks around the Lucky Charms in her mouth while simultaneously spitting a bit of milk on the table. 

Bucky wipes it up with a napkin and sits down across from her with his coffee. 

“Do you mean parent-teacher conferences?” He asks, slightly amused by her pronunciation of the word. “And good job sounding it out, doll.”

“Yes and thank you.” She smiles again and takes another big spoonful of Lucky Charms. 

Bucky laughs and ruffles her short dark hair, hoping she won't catch the bit of worry in his eyes. 

How the fuck was he going to fix this?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bad to good to bad was not how Bucky thought this week would turn out, and it's only wednesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its 4 am on a tuesday and I can't stop typing

Three days and several 2 A.M calls to Sam later, Bucky still doesn’t know how he is going to show his face at Rory’s parent teacher conference, let alone apologize. Sam keeps reminding him that he has until Friday to even figure out if he’s even going to attend said conference. Sadly, that doesn’t make him any less stressed out.

When he’s not around Rory or Sam, all he can think about is how badly he fucked up. When he’s sitting at his desk Wednesday morning, he admits to himself that this situation really shows how shit his people skills are and how even shittier his self-confidence is. 

“James.” A voice from his office door barks out to him, “stop day dreaming.” Nat, dressed in her usual black dress pants and blazer makes her way into his office. Well, their office. 

Bucky worked for Natasha, he was pretty much her assistant, yet the company’s name was ‘Romanoff & Barnes: High End Décor’. After he got back from the Army short one arm and normal people skills, Natasha, beautiful wonderful Natasha, offered him a job as her assistant. 

“You’d only really be talking to me and people on the phone who want to set up appointments. Dress nice and casual but no sweatpants James, our company has the word ‘décor’ in it.” Is what she said to him.

He was only supposed to be there for a couple of months while he got back on his feet, but then the company sky rocketed after Pepper Potts asked Nat to decorate her new office as CEO of Stark industries. And the more business that came in, the more money Bucky got. It was easy steady job, and he was with someone he’s known his whole life, which made it better. He is also very glad that he decided to stay once Rory came, because baby’s are not cheap.

“Bucky,” She calls out again with an annoyed look on her face, “what the hell is wrong with you?” 

Nat sits in the chair in front of Bucky’s desk and slouches back, letting her work ‘must be perfect’ personality go. “Dude, you’ve been out of is since Monday, what happened to you?”

Bucky runs his hand through his hair and sighs, “What Sam hasn’t told you yet?”

Her eyes widen and she bites back a laugh, “Oh,” she drags out, “the parent teacher thing right?” 

Bucky just groans and frumps onto his desk, “He’s so cute, but he’s her teacher! And I yelled at a dude who was only looking out for my health!” 

“Man, you gotta let that go.” She chuckles and stands up before giving his hair a small ruffle and exiting the office. 

\----

Later that evening, Bucky’s out back cooking one hamburger and one ‘super-duper extra cheesy cheeseburger’ on the grill while Rory runs around their small back yard. 

He lets himself relax at the sound of Rory’s laughter and the smell of a good cook out. Bucky can’t help but grin at the sight of her running around and being happy. He can’t remember a time before this where he was this happy and content with life.

Rory and him eat dinner and talk about things that only a five year old could possibly find interesting, but Bucky keeps up as best he can. That’s what good dad’s do, right?

And even though he gets shaky more often than not, he still tries his best, and he knows Rory couldn’t love him more than she does now. Though in about ten years or so, Rory will probably dislike him a majority of the time, and man is Bucky not ready for that. 

“So Papa, how was work today?” She asks, ketchup all over her mouth.

Bucky laughs and reaches over to wipe her face with a napkin, which she mumbles in annoyance about, “My day wasn’t too bad. Mr. Stark, called and wants Nat to decorate some rooms in this big building he’s making in New York.” 

Her eyes go wide because she loves New York, big buildings and Natasha, so the fact that his day has all three things makes her squeal with excitement.

They chat more about how great Natasha is and how lucky Bucky is to know her and how today at school, Jimmy threw a brownie at Logan and Mr. Rogers had to put them in time out.

“So, Papa, are you going to that con-for-in-ces with Mr. Rogers on Monday? Because I want you to hear all the great thing’s I’ve been doing, like how I read a book meant for second graders, how amazing am I, Papa?” 

She gleams and Bucky, of course, agrees with her that she is amazing, and only amazing little girls take baths before bedtime. 

Once Rory is all clean and tucked into bed, Bucky immediately gets on the phone and calls Sam.

“Hello?” 

“Nat! Nat it’s me where’s your boyfriend I need him!”

Natasha laughs and tells him that she never signed up for sharing her boyfriend with Bucky and Bucky tells her that she’s known him long enough to know that’s how it always ends up.

“Yo man, what’s up?”

“I realized that I’ve literally been taking this whole, ‘Rory’s teacher will hate me and fail my daughter what am I to do!’ thing too seriously! I’m going to that conference Monday because as a parent I am obligated to know how amazing my little ray of sunshine is doing in school!” 

Bucky speaks so fast that he’s out of breath by the end of it and all he can hear on the other line is Sam and Natasha laughing.

“You assholes, stop putting me on speaker phone!” But he laughs too because that’s how they are and Sam and Nat tell him that they are so glad that he’s finally realized what they’ve been telling him all along.

Before they say goodnight, Sam also says that this is how Bucky should be handling most social situations, thinking about him and Rory and how no matter what happens, as long as he has her, things will be okay.

Bucky ends his night with a cold bottle of beer and an email to Rory’s teacher.

_Dear Mr. Rogers,  
My name is James Barnes and I’m Rory Barnes’ father. I’d just like to tell you that I will be attending the parent-teacher conference meeting with you this coming Monday and I am looking forward to all the things you have to say about my daughter. She speaks very highly of you and I can’t wait to meet you as well._

_-James Barnes_

He hits send with all the confidence in the world, and somehow, gets even more confidence when he emails Bucky back, not even ten minutes later. Well he had more confidence, at least until he read the email

_Thank you for letting me know that you will be attending the meeting on Monday! I’m free between 3:30 and 4 that evening after school and I too look forward to meeting you! Rory’s a great kid and loves talking about you! Guessing you must be one heck of a dad!_  
_See you Monday!_  
_-S. Rogers_

Fuck, was Bucky screwed. Her teacher was looking forward to meeting him, which means that he will be overly disappointed when he realizes who he is.

Damn it, just when things were looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so im just really on a roll right now and next chapter will probably be short as well and will be up in the afternoon tomorrow bc i already wrote it lol but its how bucky got rory and yea


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> who knew answering a call at 3 in the morning could drastically change someone's life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is like how Bucky and Rory came to be? I just really really liked this and i know it's a bit out there but hey its my story so idk muhaha

Then:

Bucky wasn’t always a ‘slightly confident when around friends’ kind of guy. Before Afghanistan, he was one of the funnest guys around. He could make anyone feel like they were part of something bigger, it was just this air of confidence the guy had about him that made everyone love him.

Then at the age of twenty, he went of to war for a little over a year. And the person that came back was not the Bucky Barnes everyone knew and loved.

The person that came back was someone who regretted getting out of bed every morning, and didn’t think he deserved to see the light of day. Bucky got bad, Bucky got really bad. He refused to see Sam or Nat, even ended up slamming the door to his shitty apartment in their faces on multiple occasions.

Between the night terrors and PTSD and pushing all his friends and family away from him, there was no one there to tell him that he was going to be alright.

Until that night.

\----

His cell phone rang on June 5th 2010 at 3:23 in the morning. He wasn’t going to pick it up, why would he? Who would want to talk to him? But then it rang again and something in his gut told him to answer it.

So he did, what harm could it do?

Then a voice at the other end of the like told him that a little baby girl was born and the mother, who died during labor, put his name on the birth certificate. The person on the phone gave him the address of the hospital, a room number and told him to come immediately.

At the time, Bucky wasn’t really sure why he listened to that person. His thought process was, ‘this could be a joke’ to ‘I was up anyway, why the fuck not’. So he went to that address and that room number and there was the body of a girl who he recognized from his first month back. That whole first month was blotchy, but he knew that it was filled with booze and drunk sex with a variety of men, as well as one woman in particular who caught his attention. He’s not sure why, but she did.

And now, nine months later, here they are, in a hospital room.

“She was going to keep her.” A girl with long brown hair walked into the room.

Bucky, who looked about as wrecked as that girl sounded, turned to face her.

“Katie, she had a good job and our parent’s were going to help her through college.”

Bucky sucked in a sharp breath, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, she was sick, um, there was the possibility that she wouldn’t make it and she said that was okay, as long as you got to meet her,” she paused, “your daughter.”

Bucky’s eyes went wide and he was about to speak, say he wasn’t fit to take care of himself, let alone a child, but she beat him to it.

“Katie told me you were sick, I didn’t really get what she meant by it at first but now I kinda do. But why don’t you just come meet her. You don’t have to hold her or anything and if you don’t want anything to do with her my family will one hundred percent take responsibility.”

Bucky just nodded this time, a bit too overwhelmed by what was happening. He just silently followed Katie’s younger sister out of the room and down a set of hallways. They stopped in front of a clear plexi glass window and for some reason, Bucky had to bite his lip to hold back tears.

“She’s in the purple blanket, Katie made it for her.”

Bucky easily found the little baby wrapped in the purple blanket. She was one row away from the window and Bucky could see her perfectly. The little baby was sleeping, all bundled into that blanket and all of a sudden Bucky felt like he was punched in the stomach.

“Can I hold her?” His voice was rough, either from screaming or not speaking for days on end, he didn’t really know.

Katie’s sister, quietly led Bucky to the side door of the room where a nurse from inside let them in. She told the nurse that Bucky was the father of the baby in the purple blanket and that he would like to hold her. The nurse quietly walked over to the baby and picked her up, then nodded that the three of them step into another room so they wouldn’t wake the other babies.

Bucky reached out and carefully took the baby, his baby, into his hands.

And then time stopped for him because she opened her eyes and yawned and he knew, Bucky Barnes fucking knew, this child was his. And he couldn’t stop himself from crying.

Katie’s sister put her hand on Bucky’s shoulder as they shook. He looked down back at the baby girl in his arms, his baby girl. God, he was already in love with her.

He looked towards Katie’s sister, “I – I don’t have anything for a baby; food, clothes, nothing.”

She smiled and rubbed a hand down his back, “We already bought everything. No need to worry.”

The nurse took the baby back, Bucky almost didn’t let her, and then they left to go speak with Katie’s parents, who, according to Katie’s sister, were excited to meet him. They were an older couple; both dressed like they came here straight from their bedroom. Katie’s mother talked while Bucky listened. He told them that he was in no right position to take care of a baby when he couldn’t even take care of himself. Even though he wanted her.

The father stepped in and made Bucky a deal.

“Six months, we’ll take her in. You, you go and get yourself fixed up, son.” The old man smiled at him like he’s known Bucky all his life.

Bucky began to cry again, he couldn’t understand how a family could be so kind to the mess of a guy that knocked their daughter up. How could they be nice to him when he was the reason she died?

“She talked to us about it,” Katie’s sister spoke up again once her parents finished the deal with Bucky, “we knew she could die and she said she wanted you here. She was worried you might not be back on your feet yet, so this whole six month deal was all her. She said you’d make a great dad.”

This girl, this random girl who caught his attention at a bar, believed in him, a drunk guy who had a one night stand with her, more than he did in himself. And he was going to change that. If not for himself, then for his daughter.

Bucky rubbed at his eyes, “Rory,” He spoke so suddenly that Katie’s sister jumped, “her name is Rory and I’ll come by and visit each week to show you how I’m doing.”

He left the room, but could see Katie’s sister (who's name was Michelle, he later learned) smiling as he left. He went to go find her parents and tell them that he would get better.

And he did. Over the next six months he took a job with Natasha, moved into a bigger and cleaner apartment and even started going to therapy. Once a week he would stop by Katie’s house and see his littler girl and play with her. She would smile the instant she saw him and he would smile just as big right back at her. Her happiness was contagious.

Bucky never once regretted answering that phone call.

\----

And now, almost six years later, Bucky types an email to Rory’s teacher telling him that he’ll be coming to her parent-teacher conference. Bucky smiles at a picture of Rory and him, the day he first got to take her home. He rarely needs to remind himself why he’s doing all of this. It’s for her, and it always will be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve totally has a favorite student and Bucky can't stop smiling because of Mac n Cheese

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally!!! meeting stevee!!!!  
> but i feel like this was a lot of dialog so ill probs put it up today and edit it tomorrow night??? idk but let me know if theres anything else i can add??? i also might be doing next chapter from steve's perspective? let me know what ya thinkkkk please and thank you ily all

“Tomorrow’s the big day, right?”

“You make it sound like I’m getting married.” Bucky scoffs at Nat who was in her and Sam’s kitchen making dinner for the four of them. “Rory, honey, don’t jump on the couch.” 

A disappointed ‘awww’ could be heard from the next room over as Bucky stands up and grabs another beer from the fridge.

“We aren’t the ones making it seem like that though, you are.” She laughs then calls out to Sam, who’s grading his students’ latest test in the other room, to get off his butt and come eat.

Okay, maybe Bucky was acting like this meeting would make or break his daughters first year in school. But, in his opinion, it totally could. He has first hand experience with that. When he was seven he had a teacher names Mrs. Miller, and she was relatively nice to all the students, except Bucky. His mother had hit Mrs. Miller’s car in the beginning of the school year at the grocery store and once she had realized that the woman who hit her car was Bucky’s mother, well let’s just say that Bucky barley ever got to have recess. 

That was not what he wanted for his daughter. Sure, Bucky was a bit of a troublemaker back then, but Rory was not and he did not want her to be punished for things she didn’t do wrong. 

“Bucky, I’ve told you this a thousand times. Steve Rogers will not hate Rory because you yelled at her and he wont hate you for yelling at him. You were stressed and uneasy and anyone could see that from looking at you.” Sam says, taking another bight of the steak Natasha made.

“Papa, Mr. Rogers is very nice and you need to stop worrying.” Rory crosses her arms over her chest and purses her lips; Christ this kid could easily be mistaken for Natasha’s.

“Baby girl is right, man.” Nat adds in, smiling at Rory. 

“Ror, explain to your Papa how great Mr. Rogers is.” Sam edges on, playfully slapping Bucky on the shoulder.

And, of course, ask a five year old to explain something it takes up to half an hour, and that’s only if they didn’t get off topic, which Rory did several times. But, it helped take Bucky’s mind off of his worrying. And he’s almost convinced himself that Steve can’t be that bad if Rory praises the man so much. Almost.

Bucky also has to remind himself that someone that good looking and that caring and that patient enough to teach five year olds for a living can’t be half as bad as Mrs. Miller.

\---

After dinner and, as Rory puts it, ‘dresert’, Bucky carry’s his daughter to the car and hooks her into her car seat. 

“Papa I’m almost as big as a six year old, so I think I can sit in the front from now on.” She huffs and cocks her head to the side.

He laughs and tells her that she’s still too little, to which she counters with “But I’m a big girl Papa!” 

And on the ride home, of course like always, Rory falls asleep trying to convince Bucky that she’s old enough to do anything and everything. He sighs from exhaustion because having one arm and a five year old that never stops talking or running around is difficult but also because he spent the last week worrying his ass off for probably nothing and it’s really tiring him out. But tomorrow is ‘the big day’, like Nat said, so maybe once this stupid conference is over, he can finally get back to his normal life. Why worry though, tomorrow probably will be as smooth as any other day.

\---

Boy was Bucky wrong. 

He woke up late, Rory had tried making her own lunch because she thought her Papa looked to lovely while sleeping, which left herself and the kitchen a mess, and he spilled coffee on his lap.

Today was going to absolutely suck.

When he finally drops Rory off at school, ten minutes late by the way, he calls Nat and tells her that he’ll be there in fifteen minutes. But those fifteen minutes, of course, turned to thirty because of traffic.

Fuck, this day is going to shit and it’s only 8 A.M.

Once at work, finally, he walks as quick as he can, puts his stuff down at his desk and walks into the conference room where he knows Natasha is.

“This day is really shitty, Nat. Ror got peanut butter everywhere this morning, and I mean everywhere. The table, her hair, the fridge. Fuck I don’t know if I can go tonight.”

“Damn, well that sounds like a pretty shitty day.” 

That was not Natasha’s voice.

He’s too busy rambling to notice that Nat was not alone in the conference room.

Natasha purses her lips and clears her throat. She motions to the man sitting next to her and glares at Bucky, and if looks could kill, Bucky would be dead right now.

“James, this is Tony Stark, of Stark Industries. He’s come to talk to us about decorating his new tower, remember.”

“Mr. Stark!” Eyes wide, Bucky pushes his hair back and rushes over to Starks side, extending his hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“You too,” He takes Bucky’s hand and shakes it, “now shall we get down to business?”

\----

The meeting with Stark went surprisingly well, and after he left, Nat surprisingly didn’t kill him. Just slapped him in the arm, then on the back of the head, then in the stomach. Bucky keeps apologizing throughout the day, and Nat just grunts at him. He catches her smirk though, so he knows she’s not really mad at him, because, after all, the way Bucky ran in really made Stark laugh and rather than decorating just a few conference rooms in the Stark Industries company building he’s making, he’s trusting them with decorating his house on the top floor as well.

In fact, his exact words before he left were, “I’m glad you guys can be serious when needed but still can relax, I like that. That’s how Stark Industries runs so well, Pepper is serious and I never stop relaxing. That’s why I’m trusting you with this. Also Pep really likes your work.”

And he was gone. And it honestly made Bucky’s whole day better. He was also feeling better about the meeting he has with Mr. Rogers in an hour. He was still a bit worried, but if anything was going to happen, Sam’s classroom was just a 3 minute walk (or a 30 second run, if needed) up a short flight of stairs and down a hallway. 

Not that Bucky would run out of his daughter’s classroom. That would definitely make the situation ten thousand times worse than it is.

So at three o’clock, Bucky packs up his bag, says goodbye to Nat, who wishes him luck, and is on his way to Rory’s school.

\----

“Papa!” Rory calls and runs down the hall to meet Bucky. “Papa, you are just in time, Mr. Rogers said we are next!” 

“Perfect, darlin’.” Bucky smiles at her, takes her hand and walks down the hall with her to the classroom, “Do you wait out here?” He asks, licking his thumb and rubbing it on her cheek to get rid of some dirt. 

She shakes her head and makes a face when he wiped her cheek. 

“Ok, I’ll be right inside, sweet heart.” He smiled and is about to walk into the classroom.

He had a good day, Rory loves ‘Mr. Rogers’, and hell, Sam trusts him. What could go wrong. 

He takes a deep breath and steps in. 

“Hi, I’m James Barnes, Rory’s father..” Bucky calls out and sees him facing the opposite wall hanging up some drawings.

“Yes! Sorry, I just needed to hang these up; you can take a seat in front of my desk. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.” He turns around, still not looking at Bucky, and then goes back to hanging another drawing. Bucky makes his way to Steve’s desk and sits down, twisting himself to be able to watch Steve hang the drawings.

Then, he turns around to face Bucky, and oh no.

“Oh,” They make eye contact, “you’re Rory’s father..”

And Steve can’t even get another word out, or he does but Bucky can’t hear it over the blood pounding through his head. Bucky abruptly stands up and turns to head to the door, but stumbles a bit and has to stop to catch his breath. This was a bad idea, this should have never happened, he should just move to California with Rory and-

“Rory’s a great kid!” Steve spits out, who is now a bit closer to Bucky. 

When did that happen?

Bucky turns to Steve, who motions Bucky to sit back down at his desk. Bucky follows, breath shallow and heart pounding. Steve just smiles and waits for Bucky to sit down.

“Love her to death, and she never stops talking about you. Said she’s proud to have you for a dad.” 

Bucky bites his lip because his really cute guy is smiling at him and telling him about how much he loves his daughter and Bucky can’t help but sit down again and listen to this guy. 

Damn it, he’s perfect. 

“She, uh, drew a family portrait. The whole class did, but hers was pretty good,” Steve flips through some construction paper on his desk until he finds what he’s looking for. He holds it out for Bucky.

There are four people drawn, a man with one arm and shaggy brown hair, a woman with short curly red hair, another man, holding the woman’s hand with short black hair and a little girl in the middle of all three of the adults, smiling. Underneath the drawing were the words ‘My Family!’.

“She’s a great kid.” Bucky runs a hand through his hair while smiling. God he loved that kid more than life.

“She told me you were worried about this. She kept saying you did something to make me mad, but I don’t remember getting mad at anyone recently.. so,” Steve rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing a bit, “I’m not mad at you for smoking. You looked stressed and I’m not a fan of it myself but I know people smoke when they’re stressed, not saying you’re stressed all the time, I don’t know if you smoke constantly, and I just didn’t know what to say because you looked upset and I- I’m just sorry. If I upset you.” 

Steve’s face is even redder than when he started talking.

And Bucky can’t help but laugh. He really can’t. Bucky had been worrying his fucking ass of the entire week for this guy to get flustered about asking an angry looking man to put out a cigarette on school grounds. God damnit this was a mess and Bucky was really enjoying it.

“Um..” Steve looks a Bucky, clearly confused as to why he was laughing.

Bucky mumbles out an apology as best he can while trying to keep down his laughter.

“You thought you upset me?” He asks, finally after a few deep breathes.

“Yea, I just, I thought you were. Sorry.”

“Man,” Bucky holds up his hand, “stop. If anyone’s apologizing here it should be me. I blew up on you. I was half worried that when you realized who I was you’d for sure kick Rory out of your class because of the way I acted.” 

Steve’s eyes went wide, “No! No I would never do that, ever.”

Bucky, knew he wouldn’t. Because Rory’s a great kid even though he’s a shitty person. So Bucky tells him how Sam reassured him practically every five minutes that that wouldn’t happen, because ‘Steve Rogers is a great man, Buck, you’ve got nothing to worry about’ and Steve blushes even more than before. Then Steve tells Bucky that Rory is one of the brightest kids in the class and has a reading level close to that of a second grader, which for a kindergartener is amazing. Bucky smiles and tells him that she gets it from her Aunt Michelle, who’s a writer, and also from his mother who taught English. 

And next thing either of them knew, Rory was stomping into the classroom.

She huffs out a breath, “Papa! Mr. Rogers!” She gets the men’s attention and crosses her arms over her chest. 

“Yes darlin’?” Bucky asks, who looks at Steve then back at Rory.

“I don’t know how long it is because I can’t read the clocks with the hands yet, but I’m hungry and I’m sure it’s been like seven years.” She states matter-of-factly. “So that means I’m old and big enough for the front of the car so lets go!” She smiles at them and turns to head out the door.

“Oh shit, she’s right, its almost four thirty.” Bucky laughs as he checks his watch, “Been one heck of an hour, huh?” 

Steve laughs too and sighs, “I think you mean seven years.” 

Bucky hums in agreement and stands, stretching is arm out a bit.  
“So, over all Rory’s your favorite and you won’t shun her right? Because she really loves you.” Bucky smiles at Steve, who blushes again, my god this guy was cute as heck.

He shakes his head, “Pretty much,” He rubbs the beck of his neck and huffs, “but um, I was wondering if you’d, I don’t know, get some coffee sometime?” He asks, mumbling more than talking. 

Bucky’s eyes go wide for a split second before smiling, “Uh, sure. Yea, um,” He reaches across Steve’s desk, grabs a pen and a sticky-note and jots down some numbers, “call me, we can talk more about Rory’s amazing reading skills?”

Steve smiles and bites his lip, and boy was that adorable. “Yea. I’d like that.”

\----

Bucky walks out of the classroom with a smile on his face. He bends down and lifts Rory up kissing her on the cheek. “How about Mac and Cheese tonight baby girl?” 

Her smile gets as big as his as she nods her head with excitement. “Yesyesyesyes Papa! Is that why you’re smiling too? Because Macen Cheese?” 

Bucky’s smile widens, “Yup baby girl, Papa is super excited for Macen Cheese.”

And for other reasons too of course.

God was Bucky worried for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, yay or nay on steve's perspective for next chapter?? let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad hospital coffee was not the type of date Steve and Bucky had in mind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soo idk if any of you follow me on tumblr (agent--of-marvel aka the same name on here bc i am unoriginal) but i posted about how I'm gonna do like a separate series of Steve's perceptive bc most of you liked that idea but i kinda wanna keep this story just from buckys point of view, so i think that thats a good compromise!! also this chapter was the longest one yet and i busted this mother fucker out at 3 in the morning ahaha

“Heard you gotta date, lover boy.” Nat walks in to their office and sits on Bucky’s desk like she owns the place. 

But she does, so he can’t really say anything about it.

But she’s wrong, kinda. It’s not a date with the hottest guy Bucky’s ever seen in his life. It’s just two guys getting coffee talking about how amazing Rory is and hopefully a date will be somewhere down the road. And hopefully down the road means soon.

Will they actually end up talking about Rory the whole time? Probably not. But it’s not something Bucky is opposed to, seeing as how his daughter is the actual sunshine to his usual shitty and gloomy life. 

“It’s not a date, Nat.” He rolls his eyes and begins to type something out on his laptop, avoiding all eye contact with her. “I ever tell you I hate being best friends with a couple?”

She laughs and smirks and he smiles right back because he loves her too much to actually be mad.

“You tell one person something and then they share everything and then next thing I know, Sam knows that I stole a scoop of ice cream from his stupid sundae stand the other week and you know the last time I got laid.”

“Which was six years ago James.” She says flatly, still smirking though.

“But look what I got from it, Natasha.” 

They both laugh at themselves and the fact that Tony Stark has no input what so ever on this project and it leaving it up to Nat and Bucky 100%. To say they aren’t stressed about it would be an understatement, because if Stark loves it then this business could be the next big thing in interior design. But is Stark hates it Bucky is going to have to look for another job. 

And that very thought terrifies him to his core.

So, the two plan out how they’re going to set up what goes where and how it goes. Everything is going great, until lunch time that is, when Bucky gets a call.

“Hello, this is James Barnes of ‘Romanoff & Barnes: High End Décor’, who am I speaking with?” He asks using his, as Rory calls it, fancy-pants voice.

“Bucky?” The voice sounds rushed and distressed. 

Shit. 

“Steve?” Bucky asks, confused.  
“Hey uh, I’m gonna need you to come down-“ 

Steve stops talking and Bucky hears other voices in the background, talking to Steve maybe? Bucky can’t really tell. 

“Bucky? I’m gonna need you to meet me at Raymond Hospital. Rory got-“

Oh no. No no no.

“Is she okay? What happened, fuck Steve where is she?”

Bucky could see Nat’s head shoot up from her desk, worry on her face. Bucky’s breathing speeds up and his heart’s beating so fast and no no, this can’t be happening.

“She’s, well I’m not sure yet, I’ll tell you more when we get there.” There are more talking and rushed sounds in the background. “I’m gonna ride with her, how soon can you get there?” 

“I’ll be there in ten.” Bucky slams the phone back on its receiver.

He stands up and automatically falls back down into his chair. Fuck this cannot be happening.

“Bucky, what the fuck is going on.” Nat asks, at his side, her hand on his shoulder.

His breath is shallow and he feels light headed. He wants to throw up, but he has to get to the hospital. Now.

“Rory, she’s in the hospital, I have to go.” He tries to stand up again, only to fall into Nat, who tells him to grab his coat because she’s going to drive.

The ride to the hospital feels painfully long, even though it’s only a fifteen-minute drive. And Bucky can’t stop thinking of the worst case scenario. Thinking like that is an automatic thing for him, but it’s not like he’s wrong to.

Rory’s mother, from what Katie’s mother told him, had multiple medical problems. Katie had a weak heart form the second she was born. She was sick when she had Rory and her heart gave out. Once Bucky learned that he’d always been scared that the same thing would happen to Rory. She could of gotten sick as well, which Katie was prone to as a child, because who knows what all these kids are carrying these days? With parent’s not vaccinating their kids, anything could be going around the school.

Nat rubs his back and tells him that it’s okay and that Rory’s a strong kid, says “She’s a Barnes, and Barnes’ never give up.” And Bucky just laughs and runs a shaking hand through his hair because that’s bullshit.

Bucky gave up, for a long time. The only reason he got up again was because of this girl and if anything happened to her, then fuck Bucky wouldn’t have a reason for living anymore.

“Bucky.” 

His head shoots up at the sound of Steve’s voice. And he’s on his feet, rushing towards Steve with a pale face and shaking hand. His breathing is still off and his chest hurts. He feels like someone punched him in the stomach, but honestly that would probably hurt less than what he’s feeling right now.

“What happened? Is she okay? Is she sick? Anything broken?” His voice is raspy because he cried in the car with Nat, and he can’t let Rory see him cry, and he speaks so fast that Steve almost misses what he said.

“She had a fever of 103, fainted and hit her head. The fever went down but she may have a concussion.” 

He squeezes the bridge and his nose and lets out a breath that he’d been holding in for what felt like forever, and Steve’s hand is on Bucky’s right shoulder, and it’s really the only thing keeping him from collapsing to the ground. But knowing what happened doesn’t seem to make the feeling in his chest get any better. 

“A fever?” His voice is shaky and he just knows he’s going to break down because fevers and fainting are how Katie would get sick when she was younger. They would come out of know where and she’d be out of school, maybe in the hospital, for over a week.

He slumps up against the wall on the floor and hears Nat making her way over to them. Steve and Nat are right in front of him, yet the whole conversation, hell every sound around him, is drowned out by the thoughts in his head. Specifically something that Katie’s mother told him on Rory’s second birthday.

She told him that Katie first started getting sick when she was two or three, so Bucky would have to keep an eye on Rory. 

So that whole year, Bucky made sure that at the sign of a cough, sneeze or sniffle, there would be the proper medicine to take care of his baby girl along with a doctors appointment. 

Looking back, he knows he was being over protective and was over reacting, but he was so entirely terrified. Katie had been to the hospital over two dozen times in her life, excluding anything that had to do with Rory, the first time being when she was four. Her parent’s almost lost her on five separate occasions and the thought of Rory being in the hospital alone makes Bucky want to throw up, because she is in a hospital and his worst fear is coming true.

If he lost Rory, Bucky would be entirely gone. There would be no point to him anymore.

“Bucky,” There’s a hand on his shoulder that snaps him out of his thoughts, “you and Steve go get a coffee. Go take a break for a minute before you see her okay?” 

Nat is crouching at his side, smiling slightly at him. She runs her hand through his hair, probably trying to smooth it out seeing as how he was pulling at it for the better part of the past thirty minutes.

He nods and stands up then follows Steve to the hospital food court and sat down at a table. He’s sure Steve said he could get Bucky some coffee, but he’s not entirely sure because he still feels like he’s in a haze.

“I just put in two sugars and some cream, hope that’s okay.” Steve sits in the seat across from him and slides him a cup of coffee. 

Bucky nods, because he really doesn’t care, and takes a sip. Jesus hospital coffee isn’t good at all, no matter where you go. 

“When I asked you out for coffee I was really hoping it would be somewhere… not at a hospital.” He smiles and Bucky can feel the smallest bit of a tug on his lips.

“Trust me, it’s the same for me.” He bites his lip because he’s nervous and worried as all hell.

Just look at the situation he’s in. He’s sitting at the hospital food court, drinking shitty coffee, waiting to here about his sick daughter, with her teacher who he happens to have a major crush on. 

Ah, what a life.

Bucky hears Steve suck in a breath, “Next time the coffee will be better though, promise.”

Bucky looks up and continues to chew on his lip, “So there is a next time? Even after all this?”

Steve chuckles to himself, “Buck, this would be me with any parent if their child were in a hospital.”

“If you say so.” Bucky smiles at him and the two fall into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Natasha text’s Bucky that he could see Rory.

Steve and Bucky stand up and make their way to Rory’s room on the third floor. But before they can make it to the room, Bucky takes a deep breath and runs towards the closest bathroom, emptying his stomach into the toilet, and after a few minutes of heavy breathing, Bucky hears heels enter the men’s bathroom.

“Bucky, c’mon, she’s watin’ to see you.” Nat says to him as he flushes the toilet and exists the stall. She hands him mint gum and a wet paper towel after he watches his hands. 

Steve walks in and looks at Bucky, worry on his face. Bucky smiles and laughs, ironically of course because what is funny or happy at all about this situation.

“Don’t know why I’m so nervous.” He runs a hand through his hair which somewhat fixes it.

“I’d be just as worried, knowing what happened with Katie, Bucky, it’s not just you.” Nat rubs his back and walks him towards the door, “Now, go see you’re baby girl.”

\----

Bucky stands outside the door and turns to Steve, “How do I look?”

Steve smiles and reaches a hand up to Bucky’s face, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. “Like a worried parent, but in a good way.”

Bucky runs a hand down his face and laughs, “Yeah, okay, Rogers.”

He turns to enter the room and is just stunned to see her, because she looks just like her mother laying down in that hospital bed that it’s scary and all he wants to do is run to the bathroom and throw up again. 

She’s pail with a bit of sweat on her forehead and her hair is messy. Her little arm is hooked up to the IV and the big bed that she’s in just eats her up and makes her seem ten times smaller in comparison. But even with all of this happening, she’s lying there, staring at Bucky and smiling at him like he is the sun. 

“Papa!” She says, her voice a little hoarse, with one of her arms reaching towards him.

He bites the inside of his cheek to stop any tears because she cannot see him crying. Not again. So he makes his way to her bed and sits down in the chair next to her.

“Hey baby girl, how are ya?” 

“Papa, I got sick and hit my head and I was really scared.” 

Bucky reaches for her tiny hand, hooked up to the IV, and holds it, with no intention of ever letting go.

“I know sweetheart. I was scared too.” 

Rory takes her free hand and reaches for her fathers face, cupping his cheek with her hand, “Papa, why were you scared?” And Bucky wants to either laugh or cry at the look of deep concern on her face.

“I was scared for you, I thought that I might have lost you.” His voice cracks and his eyes start to sting.

“Papa, you don’t gotta worry about me. I know Mama was sick a lot, but that’s because she didn’t have someone she needed to look after when she was little. She didn’t have you around. So I gotta stay strong all the time to take care of you! I gotta make sure you stay smiling. But I can’t do that if you cry Papa, so stop crying please?”

Bucky’s head is on the bed next to Rory’s stomach and his shoulders are shaking because he can’t stop crying. This girl, his daughter, is so strong. He knows that she’ll never fully understand what she has done to help him. She’s saved him once again.

“Auntie Nat and Mr. Rogers! Make Papa smile!” She demands, rubbing her hand through his hair to turn his attention to Nat and Steve.

“How about, if Papa doesn’t smile in five seconds, you tickle him?” Nat ‘whispers’ to Rory from across the room before Rory counts to five and begins to tickle Bucky’s neck.

And, damn did these girls know his weakness. “Ahh, no! I’ve been attacked by Rory, Queen of the tickles!” Bucky smiles at her and hears Steve laugh from behind him.

“So that’s why you made a crown the other day that said ‘Tickle Queen’.” 

Rory nods and response, “Mr. Rogers, thank you for taking me and calling Papa. He gets very worried about me when I’m sick.” 

Steve walks over to her and ruffles her hair. “That’s what parents are supposed to do, Ror.”

“Noo, you don’t get it, he get’s supper worried because my Mama was sick all the time when she was-“

“Sweetheart, that’s enough, why don’t you get some rest while me and Mr. Rogers go get you some apple sauce?” Bucky cuts in because thinking about Katie with Rory in the hospital is not something that should be in his mind.

Bucky rushes out the door, grabbing Steve along with him before Rory can answer his question, which would be a yes anyway because she loves applesauce.

The two walk in silence, Bucky two steps ahead of Steve, until they reach the food court before Steve speaks up. “So, Rory’s mom,” He pauses as Bucky looks at him, “she was sick a lot?”

Bucky rubs the back of his neck and sighs, “Katie was born with a weak heart, so her immune system wasn’t the best. When she eight, she’d already been to the hospital ten of eleven times. And by eighteen that doubled. She was even sick the night Rory was born.”

Bucky grabs a cinnamon applesauce, a spoon and sighs again before sitting at a table because, fuck, if thinking about Katie hurts, talking about her feels like a stab to the chest.

Steve quickly sits down next to Bucky, closer than he should be but Bucky couldn’t care less because he wasn’t okay and being next to Steve really calmed him down.

“Is she..” Steve stops talking when he notices Bucky shake his head. “Oh.”

“She died giving birth to Rory.”

“I’m so sorry, I just assumed you were divorced.” Steve goes to wrap his arm around Bucky’s back, but before he could, Bucky is already out of the seat.

“We were never married.” His words sound harsh as he briskly walks back to Rory’s room, Steve right behind him. 

“I’m sorry you guys never got the chance-“ 

Bucky stops directly in front of Steve, two doors away from Rory’s room, “Honestly, what is wrong with people?” He throws his hand up, annoyed as all hell. “It’s not- Katie and I didn’t- ya know what, what ever, never mind. What happened with Katie and I is private and I think it’s time you should go home. It’s almost four, but thanks for coming with her and thanks for staying.” 

Bucky turns and heads to Rory’s room without saying bye to Steve, or letting Steve say bye to Rory. He’s just annoyed and mad now because he hates talking about Katie like he knew her. Sure he knows more about her now because her family told him, but if he didn’t have Rory, the only thing that would be connecting them would be that one night stand six years ago, which isn’t much of a connection. So, he does is best to let Katie’s family tell Rory about her, it’s only fair, because Bucky has no right to be talking about her like he knew her.

“Papa, where’s Mr. Rogers?” Nat and Rory are sitting on the bed while a TV show plays as white noise in the background.

“He had to go home, baby girl, but Auntie Nat and I are still here and we’re gonna take you home and I’m gonna make you clam chowder, how does that sound?” He leans down to kiss her on the head as she nods. 

“Okay!”

\----

Before they leave, a doctor speaks with Bucky on getting Rory to visit a pediatrician twice a month to check on her and make sure her heart stays strong. After that, it takes them about half an hour to get Rory discharged into their custody then they’re on the road back to their house. Bucky asks Nat for a tomorrow off, so he can stay home with Rory and she hugs him and smiles, because he really didn’t have to ask. 

Bucky carries Rory into the house and places her down on the couch before heading into the kitchen to make the soup.

The two spend the night laughing and watching a movie on Disney channel about a girl who gets into a summer camp for singing. 

Rory then falls asleep, resting on Bucky’s lap, and for the first time in hours, Bucky finally feels himself relax because Rory is safe at home with him and everything will be okay. 

After he tucks her into bed, he feels his phone vibrate in his back pocket, 

_I’m sorry for upsetting you. I let curiosity get the best of me and I stepped in a place I shouldn’t have. I’d still love to take you out for coffee. Maybe dinner To make it up to you for what I said? Let me know – S.R_

God, Bucky can’t catch a break with this guy. 

_I’m free this weekend. Night Steve. –Bucky_

Yea, things are starting to look up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> steve's point of view should be up after finals which end this friday for meee so dont worry babes!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky just wants to be a great dad, but Rory won't stop crying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kook so v late i am aware. i got distracted by shameless bc ian and mickey are babes, sue me. but yes here it is chapter 6!!! i know this seems like it might be going a bit slow, but dont worry I'm gonna get things moving soon promise !!!

Then:

“No no no, Nat what do I do?” Bucky screamed through the phone to Natasha.

“Well, what the fuck is wrong this time?” She’s annoyed, but who wouldn’t. Bucky’s been calling her nonstop for the past week asking for help with Rory.

It’s been a little over six months since Rory was born, and both Bucky and Katie’s family, the Scanlon’s, had kept up their deal. Bucky got better, slowly but surely. He went to VA twice a week for group therapy sessions, and a personal therapist once a week. Nat offered him a job as her assistant, which he only took after she scolded him for thinking that having him around would annoying or a burden for her.

Things were going great. Sam helped him find a two bedroom apartment and also attended the VA meetings with him twice a week, so he’d at least know someone in the room. Bucky would try his best to speak up at the meetings, and after, he’d walk over to Katie’s parent’s house to see Rory, just like he’d promised.

He was worried that she wouldn’t realize who he was, but Katie’s mother, Tina, told him not to worry, she said Rory would know. And she did, because the second Bucky would step into Rory’s nursery, she would smile and giggle and reach her chubby little arms out to him.

Life was great, and Bucky couldn’t wait to take her home.

Then that day came, when he carried her back to _their_ apartment and showed her around _their_ home. Bucky fell asleep with a smile on his face.

A smile which faded about two hours after he put Rory to bed, when she woke up crying.

And one week later, there they were, pacing Bucky’s room, with a crying Rory in his hand and the house phone pressed up against his left shoulder, Natasha on the other end of the line, of course.

“She just wont stop crying Nat. I’m not cut out for this, I’m obviously not good enough-“

“James Barnes! She is a baby! And what do babies do? They cry! If Katie were there, she’d be crying too! Babies cry Bucky!”

Bucky bit his lip. She’s right, he knows that. Bucky’s read every parenting book he could get his hands on. All babies do for the first few months is cry, but Katie’s mom, Tina, said that Rory didn’t cry a lot through the night anymore, so Bucky was worried. He hummed in her ear and bounced her lightly in his arm.

“Tina said that Rory doesn’t cry much through the night anymore.” He sighed and sat in a rocking chair Nat and Sam bought for Rory and rocked back and forth, Rory not at all getting any less cranky.  
“Bucky, man, she’s in a new house, it’s only been six days, give it time!” Bucky heard Sam yell from the other line; because he obviously woke them up it’s two in the fucking morning.

And like Natasha and Sam would know anything about infants that could help him.

Bucky huffed out a breath. Fuck, he’s such a shitty friend.

“And if you’re thinking that you’re a shitty friend, you’re wrong. You’re just a worried dad, which is a good thing Bucky, okay? Now sing her something so you can both try to get some shut eye.” He could tell that Nat was smiling when she hung up the phone.

He let the phone slide out from his chin and fall to the ground. Luckily Bucky opted for carpeting throughout the house, so the phone didn’t make much noise when it hit the floor. He hummed and held her closer to him as she continued to cry. It wasn’t as bad as it was thirty minutes ago, but she was still fairly upset about something.

“My beautiful baby girl, why are you crying?” He asked softly, rocking back and forth in the chair again. “Papa just want’s to do everything right for you, darling. I just want you to be the happiest girl in the world. I’ll try my best my darling, Papa will do anything for you.”

Bucky talked and talked, and next thing he knew, it was three o’clock and Rory was sleeping soundly in his arms. Her breath was soft and felt light against his skin. He chuckled to himself and stood up as slowly as he could, talking as he did so.

“And when you turn sixteen, I’m going to lock you up, because I will not let any teenage boy within a eighty foot radius if you.” He smiled and lightly laid Rory down in the crib Bucky picked out and put together for her. She smiled, and snuggled into the purple blanket Katie had made for her.

It was a deep purple with gold lining, the words, My Darling embroidered in the upper left corner.

“Your mother, your mother saved me. I just thought she’d be another nameless face to help me sleep through the night. But, in fact she turned out to be the second most important woman in the world. You being the first, of course.” He reached his hand in and lightly stroked Rory’s cheek.

“She was so kind and caring, and I only knew her for a few hours, but her family has told me so much about her. They say you look just like her when she was a baby. I can’t wait for you to hear those stories when you’re older, darling.”

Bucky leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. He smiled as he climbed onto his bed, because, sure being a single dad with one arm and no social skills was hard, but it wasn’t so bad with the people around him. Katie’s family, the Scanlon’s, said they’d be there whenever he needed. As would Nat and Sam, even if he did annoy them constantly.

He knew it’d all be worth it, though. To see her smiling and laughing. And he knew Katie would be proud. No person would ever give their baby to an almost complete stranger with out having a large amount of faith in them, and Bucky had to give being a dad a try because no one’s ever believed in him that much. Ever.

 

Now:

Bucky sits at the kitchen table trying to figure out something for Starks giant ass tower he and Nat have to design. Along with that, he’s trying to keep his eyes on the pot of water for the pasta and trying to calculate what would be considered ‘too fast’ or ‘too late’ for texting Steve back.

Jesus, dad’s never got a break.

“Papa! Papa,” Rory runs over and jumps onto Bucky’s lap kicking her feet up in the air.

“What darling?” He asks, reading over the things Stark ‘absolutely needs’ and ‘does not need under any circumstances’ in his building.

“So, I was thinking, ‘cause I saw gram today, and she said I looked like Momma, and I wanna know, do you think I look like Momma? Because I wanna look like you, but if Momma was pretty I wanna look like her.”

Bucky lets the pen he was holding fall out of his grip and he sighs, shifting Rory in his lap so she’s looking at him.

Now, Bucky has only seen Katie in person once, and from what he can remember (from his slightly drunken haze) she was a beautiful girl, with short black hair and green eyes. He can practically hear her laugh, along with the sound of fuzzy music, and see her smile.

“You listen here, Ror. Your Momma was the prettiest thing on this side of the world. Her laugh was loud and contagious, just like you’re. She even got me smiling. And her eyes, well darling you have her green eyes and her long lashes. You also have her freckles. But you have my nose and my brown hair. You’re face is shaped like hers too.”

He pushes some of Rory’s hair behind her ear, “You look like both of us love. But don’t worry, your Momma’s beauty and kindness shines through you like the sun.”

She laughs and snuggles up into his chest, “Did you love Momma?”

He sucks in a breath, because this question’s never really come up before between them and he’s not sure what to say. He bites his lip and rets his head on hers.

“Your mother saved me. She believed in me when I thought I wasn’t worth anyone’s time. She gave me the one thing I needed to get back on my feet.”

He ruffles her hair and kisses her on her forehead, “She gave me you, and I’ll always love her for that.”

“Well then I love her too of course.” Rory smiles and hopes off of Bucky lap and runs into the living room.

Bucky rolls his eyes and laughs as he walks over to the pot to check the water. He’ll never understand how kids could just jump from one serious subject to nothing like the flip of a switch. But he’s glad she’s not torn up about Katie not being around. He’s glad he has such a happy kid.

“Papa! ‘Steve’ texted you asking if you wanted to do Italian this Friday? Who’s ‘Steve’ and where are you going? And what are you doing to Italian?”

And queue the eye roll, because as much as he loves his happy little Rory, nosy Rory gets on his nerves quite often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i realized i dont want this to just be a steve & bucky story, i want really domestic bucky as well (which I've given a lot of) but yea, so thats y it may seem slow but i like the pace :) so yea


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night, oh boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS! i am so sorry its been so long. i didnt have any time to write this summer bc work owned me and also i didn't really have any motivation to, but I'm back at school and things r looking good. hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Bucky looks himself up and down in his mirror for the third time in minutes because there’s no such thing as not triple checking your outfit before a big date, right? 

He bites his lip and sits on his bed, yelling downstairs to Nat and Sam. “Nope, I’m not going anymore! Call Steve and tell him I fell down a ditch or something!” He falls back onto his bed and groans.

“Bullshit Barnes, get your lazy ass up right now!” He can hear Natasha’s heals stomping up the stairs and can just picture the look on her face. Angry yet caring. Only Nat can put those two emotions into one look.

“Nat, I can’t go, god I have already yelled at the guy twice. I don’t wanna embarrass myself anymore than I already have.” 

“Bucky, it’s literally too late. Rory’s already at the sitters.” Sam chimes in, right behind Natasha.

“Good, I’ll just get wasted by myself and watch The Notebook.” Bucky sits up and frowns at his friends who both look at him like he’s overreacting, which of course he is.

“Bucky, you look good, totally Italian ready. And why are you so worried? If he didn’t like you I don’t think he’d ask you out.” Sam reminds him, for the hundredth time.

“Look, worst comes to worst, just shove a shit ton of lasagna in your mouth, constantly, so you never even have to talk.” Nat suggests, which obviously gets a laugh out of Bucky.

Bucky flops back down on his bed and lays his arm over his eyes. In all honesty, the only way this could go bad is if Bucky does something drastic like punch Steve in the face for no reason. He loves Italian food, he enjoys talking to Steve, and he also really enjoys looking at Steve. So the night can’t turn out that bad. Bucky then huffs out another breath and stands up, running a hand through his hair and down his shirt, fixing anything that may of gotten wrinkled.

“Okay, I got this.” He says aloud, looking at his reflection.

“Fuck yeah you do!” Sam yells next to him and pats him on the shoulder.

Bucky just rolls his eyes and begins walking out of his room, “C’mon losers, go home. I can’t bring you two with me.”

\---

Bucky pulls into a parking spot at the restaurant and shuts his car off. It’s a little after seven, so he knows Steve must already be in there. He sits in his car and takes two deep breaths in. It might be a bit busy seeing as how it’s a Friday night, but Bucky’s going to be with Steve. It’s just like a night out with Sam and Nat, or if he takes Rory out. Nothing big, just a night out with a friend.

Except Steve isn’t just a friend, and this is a date and Bucky hasn’t been on a date in about ten years and here he is on a date with his daughters teacher for crying out loud. Bucky is going to fuck everything up, he just knows it. 

And then his phone buzz’s. 

Bucky is snapped back to reality with a text from Steve.

_Got us a booth in the back, not too much noise. Can’t wait to see you :)_

And Bucky just smiles and gets out of his car, because this night could not go bad with someone as kind and perfect as Steve Rogers. He was worrying over nothing.

He makes his way into the restaurant and towards the back where Steve is sitting. 

Steve smiles at as Bucky pulls his chair out and sits down.

“Hi.” Bucky says, putting his napkin in his lap.

“Glad you made it here alright.” Steve says back.

And the two sit there in silence for a few moments until the waiter comes over to take their drink orders. But once the waiter leaves, the two of them both go back to being fairly quiet until Steve huffs out a breath.

“I am so sorry. I’m very nervous right now.” He runs his left hand through his hair and gives Bucky a dopey smile.

Bucky can only laugh, and Steve looks slightly offended. 

“No, no. I’m sorry, it’s just that I was so nervous getting ready. Nat and Sam practically had to drag me out of my bed.”

“At least you had some support. I was sitting at my kitchen table trying to calm myself down for thirty minutes.”

They both laugh, “Oh wow what a mess we are, huh?” 

\--- 

By the time the two of them finish dinner and ask for the check, its almost 9:30. They both happened to order the lasagna and talked about Rory and gossiped about some of the other student’s parents. They also got on the topic of what school was like for them when they were kids.

“Has school really changed that much?” Bucky asks, taking a sip of his water.

“Yeah, remember cursive? We’ll they don’t even care if the kids know it anymore! Also, second graders are being thought some pretty complex math that I didn’t know how to do until, like, fifth grade.”

Bucky shakes his head and leans back into his chair, “Fuck, so glad I got out when I did.”

Steve laughs and takes in a breath. “I’m glad I asked you out Bucky.” 

And instantly the atmosphere changes and Bucky is instantly reminded that yes, this was in fact a date with a hot guy that asked him out, and wow it is so easy to get lost talking to this man.

Bucky bites his lip and before he can answer the waiter comes over, “Hey guys, so here’s the check. And you are both all set? Nothing from our dessert menu?” He asks, smiling at both Bucky and Steve.

“Uh, no thank you, we’re all set.” Steve smiles and takes the check before Bucky can even reach out for it.

“Okay then, I’ll be back in a bit to take the check.”

The waiter leaves and Bucky stared at Steve, obviously making Steve slightly uncomfortable.

“What?”

“Oh nothing,” Bucky pauses and takes in a deep breath because what he’s about to do is totally on a whim and he might regret saying it later but what the hell, “but I get the next check.” He does his best to smile at Steve without blushing like crazy.

“So there’s a next time?” Steve asks, laughing while he puts the check on the table.

Bucky coughs a bit because fuck, yes he wants there to be a next time and he hopes Steve does too.

“If, um, if that’s okay with you..” Bucky runs his hand through his hair and looks down at the table.

“Of course it is.” Bucky looks up in time to see a hint of pink on Steve’s cheeks.

The waiter comes back and takes the check, telling Steve and Bucky to have a great rest of their night. Bucky gets the tip, because he’s not gonna let Steve pay for everything. They walk out of the restaurant together, Steve even walks Bucky to his car.

“So, thanks for a great night. Ugh maybe I’ll see you Monday when I pick Rory up?” Bucky try’s to sound as nonchalant as he can, maybe even a little flirty? He doesn’t know.

“Hopefully.” Steve smiles and turns to walk to his own car, “Night, Buck.”

“Night, Steve.”

And the second Bucky get’s into his car he rests his head on his steering wheel and practically giggles, because that was the best night he’s ever had and it was with the hottest man he’s ever seen. And said man is sweet and kind and loves his kid and oh my god Bucky Barnes is falling and falling hard.

Oh god.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a nice day out, and Buck can't stop smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone! its spring break, and I've been writing this chapter all week! i'm already starting on the next chapter so it should be up soon! enjoy!!  
> warning, happy happy bucky!!

_so did you kiss?_

**or like makeout???**

_OH OH did he grab ur butt!?!?!_

And, officially, Bucky has never hated being in a group message with Nat and Sam more than right now.

His phone buzzes again, signaling another round of texts asking about his date last night with Steve.

**theres a second date at least right????**

Bucky rolls his eyes and takes a large sip of his coffee, it’s only 9 am, on Saturday nonetheless, they need to calm down. But, Rory’s still asleep and he decides to ease their pain and call the Wilson/Romanoff household.

The second the ringing ends, he’s met with a loud “Bucky!!!” from two separate voices.

“Guys, it's nine, I will tell you everything you wanna know, if you calm down.”

So Sam and Nat stay quiet as Bucky goes on to explain how the date went. He tells them about how they both ordered the same thing, and how both he and Steve thinks that the school's librarian always seems just a bit tipsy (Sam also seems to agree, which is a bit worrying).

“All in all it was great. I couldn’t stop smiling… hell I can’t stop smiling.” Bucky says, laughing a bit to himself.

“And you asked him out!” Natasha yelled over the line. “All by yourself! You’re all grown up!”

Bucky just rolls his eyes, but he can’t help but feel proud of himself. He never thought he’d be able to go on a date with someone, let alone ask them out for a second date, again. He’s really moving up.

“I’m really proud of you man.” Bucky can hear the smile in Sam’s voice.

“Thanks guys.” And then they talk for another ten minutes or so when Bucky hears movement from upstairs. “Well, that’s my cue, I’ll talk to you guys later.”

Bucky hangs up the phone after they say their goodbyes and makes his way up the stairs to Rory’s room.  
“Papa!” And like clockwork Rory makes her way out of her room and into the hallway where Bucky already happens to be standing. “Papa!” She smiles and hugs his legs as tight as her little arms can squeeze.

“Oh Papa I missed you last night!”

Bucky smiles and leans down to pick up Rory, who then nuzzles into his neck. “I missed you too, munchkin.” He kisses her cheek and carries her down stairs, and into the kitchen.

“So.. pancakes or waffles?” He asks, setting her down in a chair.

“I say both!” Rory yells, throwing her little arms in the air.

Bucky pretends to think it over for a second, scratching his chin, before yelling, “Yes! Both! That sounds delightful!” 

Rory laughs, and how can she not? Her Papa is smiling and making two of her favorite foods so early in the morning. She just knows it’s going to be a great day.

\---

After breakfast, Bucky cleans up the kitchen while Rory runs around the living room singing along to some Disney CD Sam bought her this past Christmas. His little angel is happy, and he’s so happy that she’s happy. Of course, he’s happy for other reasons as well, and because he is in such a good mood an idea pops into his head.

“Hey, Ror!” He calls out and she instantly comes leaping into the kitchen, arms stretched out like she was pretending to fly.

“Yes, Papa?” She runs over to him just as he crouches down to her eye level.

“How about we go visit Momma today?”

Rory’s face breaks out into one of the biggest smiles Bucky’s ever seen on her little face and she squealed louder than he’s heard in awhile.

“So, I’m taking that as a yes?” He asks, chuckling.

“Of course Papa! We haven’t visited Momma in a long time!” She wraps her small arms tightly around his neck then quickly pulls back to look at him, “We have to get flowers! Her favorite, of course.”

He laughs again and sets her back on the ground, “Of course.”  
\--

After Bucky gets Rory settled in the car, they leave the house and make their way to the cemetery where Katie was buried, after stopping for flowers first. Rory, smiling and laughing, runs towards her mother's tombstone, a small bouquet of flowers in one hand and a handwritten card in the other. Bucky, is of course, right behind her, reminding her to slow down. He doesn’t mean it really, it’s been awhile since they’ve visited Katie together and he knows how excited she is.

“Momma! Now, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve been here to see you but Papa came! And, we picked up your favorite flowers!” Rory places the small bouquet of daisies on the ground in front of the tombstone. Rory then continues on with her conversation, talking about school and Sam and Natasha. Bucky smiles and reads Katie’s tombstone.

_To a loving daughter, sister, friend, and mother. Rest In Peace. Kathleen Scanlon._

Bucky sighs and looks back down to Rory, who is spitting out facts she learned in class the other day with her favorite teacher, Mr. Rogers. And then Bucky can't stop the smile from spreading across his face because Rory loves Steve so much and Steve really cares for Rory, and Bucky is so so thankful for that. 

Once Rory is done talking to her mother, she looks at Bucky, “Papa, I’m gonna go stand over there and you can talk to Momma in private, ok?” And before he can tell her that she doesn't need to do that, she’s halfway across the cemetery. 

“Okay,” Bucky laughs, “Well Katie, as you can see our kid is one heck of a firecracker. She never stops. Ever. But she’s so smart, Kate, so damn smart. And she loves being outside and singing and making everyone else around her laugh. She’s a great kid, and your Mom can’t stop saying how much Rory reminds her of you.” 

Bucky kneels down and puts his hand on the tombstone, closing his eyes. “But sometimes, it’s so hard, Kate. Even with Sam and Nat, sometimes I wish you were here, so she could know you. And I know we only met once, but, damn Katie, am I so grateful for this. For her.” 

Sadly, of course, this small heart to heart is quickly broken when he hears Rory yelling to him from where she’s standing. “Tell Momma about Mr. Rogers!” And then Bucky looks to his daughter and starts laughing, a smile on his face so big, he thinks it almost hurts a bit. 

“Well, Mr. Rogers is Rory’s wonderful teacher at school. And someone I kind of went on a date with last night. He loves Ror and according to Sam, ‘can’t get enough of me’, so we’ll see where this goes I guess? Rory loves the fact that ‘Mr. Rogers and I are best friends’. But I’m taking things slow and watching how this’ll affect Rory, don’t you worry Katie.”  


Bucky stands up, brushes the dirt off his knees and touches Katie’s tombstone one last time. Rory runs back over to him and says goodbye to Katie, when Bucky’s phone rings. He looks at the caller I.D. and answers while they start walking back to their car.

“Hey Sam, what’s up?” Instantly, hearing it’s Sam, Rory also yells hello.

“Hey! Why don’t you bring Rory over to the school. A certain teacher happens to be one of the coaches for the town's baseball league.” Buck rolls his eyes, and helps Rory buckle into her carseat. 

“I didn’t know he was a coach, why didn’t you tell me.” 

“Didn’t think it was relevant.” And Bucky Barnes knows that’s a damn lie. 

“Hmm, okay Sam.” He huffs out a breath and turns back to look at Rory from his seat, “Hey Ror, wanna go see Mr. Rogers and Sam?” 

“Oo, yes! I wanna see Sam! And Mr. Rogers!” She laughs and kicks her feet, now overly excited for seeing two of her favorite people.

Putting his phone back to his ear, he lets Sam know that he and Rory are on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr if u like! agent-of--marvel!


End file.
